Chani and the Wanderer
by Minty Mouth
Summary: A story inspired by Shadow of the Colossus, with many familiar elements, under the guise of a new format. The story of a young man and his horse's journey as he tries to get to the bottom of the mysterious goings on in his own life. T for Violence/Gore
1. Chapter 1: Time to Face the Day

Just a short Foreword:

I have been feeling inspired recently. So inspired in fact, that I actually decided to write something! Which I've been meaning to do for a long time, but have just put it off until now. Shadow of the Colossus and Ico have always been great inspirations to me, no matter what Im doing, so I thought it would be a good idea to use that game to draw from to create a story with a similar world, and story. Its kind of half way between Fan fiction, and an original work.

I would just like to add that all reviews are **greatly** appreciated. Even if they are only a few words of thought. =]

**Chani and the Wanderer**

Morning. I desperately cling on to the final shards of my sleep, pulling myself as far in to the trance as I dare. It is better here. Secure in my own sub-concious, no threats, with only my dreams to haunt me. I let go, through nothing other than necessity, I'm not strong enough. I can feel myself steadily slipping back to reality. Slowly and reluctantly, I open my eyes, subjecting them to the ever harsh glow of the dawn. My real world quickly coming into unforgiving focus. I wish I could stay like that forever. Peaceful. But alas, many a good man's wishes have previously gone unheard, what reason is there to believe my fortune will be any different? I wait a short time until the last remnants of my slumber ebb away, my body slowly adjusting. I sweep my Auburn hair from in front of my eyes with a weak motion of my hand. Through my thoughts I listen to the birds flap their wings, battling their way through the sweltering heat of these lands, singing songs that could soothe any poor fellows tormented soul; for now mine would have to do. This was refreshed as I was going to get. Unfortunately.

Time to face the day.

Mind now fully focused on the task at hand, I stand shakily. The harsh stone ground upon which I had slept was certainly not an ideal place to rest for the night. Sleeping rough is not something I am used to, consequently I often wake with many sores and pains which I always feverishly attempt to remedy with rest and support, all to no avail, since the next night the unmerciful cycle begins over again. An unavoidable annoyance, which means I have to go about my travels in something less than that of good stature. Not ideal. Especially considering that with my current situation as it is, I will not be receiving any medical attention any time soon.

I gather my things together, being sure to stay a safe distance from the ominous cliff next to which I had set up camp. Starting towards the charred remains of my camp fire, I notice there was still perfectly good wood left there, peeking out from underneath the deadly black ash. It must have rained through the night, and with nothing to cover my belongings, that was not a good prospect. I stumble over to my roughly sewn satchel in which I keep most of my things, and examine it for water damage. It's fine, even despite the bag lying carelessly open on the ground, nothing was damaged. In a moment of shaky panic I grabbed for my journal, which must have fallen out when I hastily set my bag down last night.

My journal was the only personal artefact that I had decided to bring with me. I thought it best to travel lightly. In it I had recorded almost everything of note that had occurred over my journey. Saving a page or two each day to write out things that I deemed especially important. Things I didn't want to forget about my past, the people that meant a lot to me. They were all recorded in this small book, and so, it was the only thing keeping me sane, as I drove forward into the unknown. Deeper and deeper each day. The thought of my only outlet surrendering its delicate pages to the pounding rain was enough to worry me beyond that of any quest I could have been entrusted with. Feeling my hearts beat become ever more uneasy as the seconds drip away, I desperately scramble in an attempt to find it. Tossing my other things aside I quickly catch it from the corner of my eye. With an uneasy breath I reach out and stroke my hand tenderly across the brown leather binding, the familiar texture immediately relaxing me. As I cautiously flick through the pages, my sigh of relief is only cut short by the peculiar sensation of wonderment that overcomes me as I realise the book is bone dry. I don't stop to realise just how strange that is. I'm too relieved. Closing my eyes and pulling the book close to my heart, I feel its metal capped corners dig into my chest and myself calming down. I have already had more than enough excitement for one day, and a part of me wants to just rest until dusk. But today is important. There is no time to waste, I would write these strange events in my journal while I walk. It is dangerous to stay in one place too long, when in the wild. This camp was no different to the rest I had scraped together in the past, there was no reason to stay.

Hurriedly stuffing everything back where it belongs, I gather the final objects of the night, strewn around my rather measly camp-site. Satisfied that I have left nothing behind, I grab my bow, being sure to strap it securely to my belt. It is the only weapon at my disposal, and fortunately, as of yet I have only had to use it for hunting the few animals that roam these desolate plains. Hauling my satchel over my shoulder I begin travelling north, leaving the cliff upon which I had spent the night. There is a wood ahead of here that I'm going to have to traverse if I am to reach my destination. A place which the likes of mortal men's feet rarely touch the cursed soil. But I am brave, I must go there, for it is the only place I can be saved. I pull back my hair and tie it up with a strip of dirty brown cloth that I had ripped from my shirt a few days back, (I cant concentrate with my hair in my eyes) and set off.

Wading through the thick undergrowth leading into the darkened woods ahead. I check my compass to reassure myself that I'm heading in the right direction. As long as I keep north I would be on the right track. Although that may be a problem, If I were to continue in this direction there is a good chance there may be a river or stream ahead. Seeing as I had no means of crossing water, and swimming across would be nothing less than foolish, I may have to-

I quickly turn on my heel, spinning around, batting the weeds out of my eyes with a swift flick of my hand. There was no doubt about it. I had just heard something lurking in the foliage behind me. I had been away from civilisation for far too long, but my hearing was one of my senses that had not suffered. Glaring through the trees I notice I have already travelled fairly deep into the woods. It was too late to run now. I would have to face my foe, despite my clear disadvantage. Another sound caught my attention, I stayed as still as I could, drawing my breath with more care and precision even than necessary. Branches cracked, then something rustled. Suddenly, a loud snap, ripped through the air and echoed into my ears! Something came bounding fiercely towards me! I don't have any time to react, before I can even move it is upon me, I flail my arms around wildly in a desperate plea to defend myself. Clenching my hand into a fist I pound the thing with considerable force, apparently this was enough to dissuade my attacker, it moved backwards with a disjointed bolt and let out a staggering cry. No, not a cry, a muffled and snorting whinny! It wasn't an attack, it's a horse...

...My horse?

I stumble backwards in utter disbelief, how- what the...I feel my jaw quiver and my fist relaxes, falling backwards into the grass, I land on a pile of thorny plants and yelp in pain. The rough thicket of spikes fiercely digs into my back and legs, forcing a gasp out from my dry lips. I waste no time in rolling over away from the thorns, wincing as I feel the barbs slip out of my flesh. What was going on? I had....I had hit a horse? My horse? I try through the pain to raise my hand in a peace offering to him. Holding my palms towards him I mutter my condolences through gritted teeth. I cant stand up properly, Just as a manage to get my footing my legs give way and I jerk back down to the leafy earth again. Taking this as a sign that I was unable to harm him, the bewildered animal trots over with another snort, the greenery crunching under his hooves, and nudges me delicately with his nose.

Of course, I hadn't _walked_ all the way here. This _was_ my horse! He had been with me ever since I was a child, when I used to ride him around the town, circling the huts made of sticks and mud that the commoners- us- lived in. For a long time he was my only true friend, as I battled my own personal war against the cruel world, Chani was always there for me. I had loved him and cared for him, and now I remember, I had brought him with me! I pull on his reigns to lift myself off the ground. With a little struggle I manage to stand, slowly, on my wounded legs. Chani gives me a delicate nuzzle. Looks like he's forgiven me, but that's not what I'm thinking about. Instead my mind is focused solely on two questions. "How could I have forgotten about my horse?" and more importantly:

**What is happening to me?**

2

"_All this time... I've been played for a fool."_

_..._

"_Are you even listening to me? I can't believe you. I should have known better than to think you could handle this. Its always the same with you."_

_..._

"_Not this time. Second chances don't ever matter. **People never change**....You want to know the worst thing? I thought you loved me. I actually** believed **you. Heh...can you believe it?"_

_..._

"_No. Not again. I'm done with you. For real."_

**


	2. Chapter 2: Eight Months

**Some time earlier...**

Just when I thought it couldn't get any more complicated...

The mornings are always the worst. The weather here doesn't lend its self to the early hours. Unusually hot, predictably uncomfortable. Stirring in the beating glow of heat descending upon the Ridge, not the preferred way to wake to a new day. The huts we live in often turn to slop, not well built enough to withstand the conditions. We're lucky in the fact that we have a lot of water. We drink well, and therefore are suitably nourished. Most women wash twice a day to rid themselves of their discomfort, the men are often too busy. It has always been like this, for as long as I can remember. Some people are hopeful. They think that the weather is just a punishment from God.

I know better. It's never going to change. _Some things never do._

"The Ridge"... it suited well. Perhaps not to the town itself, but to the people. For some reason that I've never been able to put my finger on, it works. The name pre-dates all of the people here, so no one really knows where it came from. We never question. That is not the way. Despite everything, we are happy. Well, the community are happy. I on the other hand, I have been better.

"Ugh-!"

I spin around in my chair, taking my eyes off of the mischievous cattle roaming around in their pen for a second. It was _her._ I have been pretending not to notice _them_ for a few minutes now, as I watched over the animals.

They never stop arguing. For a long time it was going well, they were the most sickeningly tactile couple you could imagine. In retrospect I have come to realise that's probably why it started to go wrong.

The tent billowed behind her as I turned back around. Things could get ugly in this town, fast. You don't want to stick your nose where it doesn't belong. That's a one way ticket to hunting your own food and camping out in the wilderness... alone. She had left with such purposeful resolve that I didn't want to risk provoking _her_, of all people, any further.

I stare the nearest thing. A cow, as it happens. I might just be paranoid, but I can feel _her_ eyes, fixated upon me. Is she looking at me?

"Zeikku...?"

Despite my flawless powers of precognition (I roll my eyes to myself, I need to learn to trust my instincts more), I almost jump out of my chair. I knew it. She _was_ looking at me. Why am I so on edge this morning? Turning around again, albeit, slightly more nervous than last time, I flash her a weak smile.

"Good morning, Mairi," I mutter, moving my eyes to meet hers. Bright green. Beautiful. She walks around in front of me, looking out into the pleasant glow of the sunrise, "Nice day so far?" I say, half in jest.

"Don't get me started." I watch her delicate silhouette float in front of the sun as she moves to sit down on the grass in front of me. She seems happy enough. It should be safe to talk to her. She makes eye contact again. Conversation has never been a skill I possess. Awkwardness ensues...

I think it has been eight months. That's a long time to be with one person. Especially at our age. I know of no other teenagers who have managed to sustain a relationship for so long. Then again we are only a small community. It had seemed even longer to me. When you're alone, and surrounded by people who aren't, time doesn't exactly fly happily by. It's bitter, but I cant help it. A part of me is glad that they seem to have ended it for good now. Maybe things wont be as complicated any more.

"So, you heard that?" She asks. Moving her eyes away from mine she starts to pick at the grass with her fingers.

"Yes..." Embarrassed, I realise that my hands are gripping the sides of my chair much too tightly. With a grimace, I relax my grip. Examining my hand I can see where the wood has made its mark on my skin. I'm bleeding, but only a faint, subdued flow of blood trickles from the wound. She laughs gently.

"Men can be real difficult at times." She must have noticed my hand, because she looked concerned, "Here let me help." Standing up, she reaches into a pouch she has fastened to her belt.

"**Mairi-** I'm fine, really."

"Of course you are," she smirks, "give me your hand." Reluctantly I do as she asks. She brushes her platinum blonde hair from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. She always wears it up, with gentle bangs framing her face. I have come to the conclusion that I am much too observant.

Pulling a bandage from the pouch she fastens it and lets it rest against her thigh again. She removes her gloves, kneels down, and starts to wrap my hand in the linen bandage.

"Really, its the smallest cut, you don't have to-"

"Please...I know what you guys are like, if someone doesn't take care of you, you'll end up dying from a wound like that."

"If you insist..." I resign to the fact that this is happening, whether I like it or not.

_"Please don't walk out of the tent now, this could look bad," _I think to myself. He's my **best friend**, I don't want him to get the wrong idea. I'm really not _that_ bitter. At least, that what I've been telling myself.

"There, now you can go back to supervising the animals without the fear of bleeding to death."

"Thanks," I laugh, nervously. She stands up, slipping her gloves back on. "Are you going to be okay?" I ask tentatively, not sure if I should have brought it up. She smiles, perching herself on another chair next to mine.

"Yes, I'll be fine. It's hardly a big deal. Thank you, though. He's a good guy, but to be honest, I'm sick of his attitude. I can't go on in a relationship like that, y'know?" I haven't got a clue, but I nod regardless. The sun has fully risen now, and its sweltering...as usual. People are starting to leave their huts and go about their daily routine. Women are preparing breakfast over in the mess hall, the biggest building of our humble village. It's the only one made from rocks, clogged with thick mud and rotting straw. It's sturdy as hell. Whenever there's a big storm (although we haven't seen one for years), that's where we take refuge. I'm lucky, its been here since before I was born.

The farmers should be here soon. They asked me to keep watch over the animals while they went about their business around the camp. I'm happy to help out, it gives me something to do. It was just bad luck that they picked this morning in particular. Although I much prefer to work around the stables. There's one horse down there, he's perfect. Thick jet black coat, deep brown mane. Absolutely stunning. Stable Master Denham said that we were perfect for each other, that if I ever needed a horse, he would be the perfect one for me.

"Were gonna try and stay friends, but I don't know how easy that'll be," she says, breaking the silence, "I don't want things to be awkward between us," she signals towards me.

"Of course," I stand up. I can see Farmer Brent coming from the Munitions tent, "don't worry about it though, he's not the kind of guy that would expect me to stop being friends with you."

She smiles, looking away momentarily. "You're right. I don't really want to stick around here for long. I'd rather not be here when he wakes up. It'd be best to give it a couple of days, don't you think?" Is she asking _me _for relationship advice? If only she knew, she might as well have been asking a cactus for water. She must have realised the folly of her request, because she quickly changed the subject. "You wanna get some breakfast? I think they're done over at the mess."

"Yes, Ali is expecting me over there soon anyway. I don't want to keep her waiting."

She Laughs. "Of course, wouldn't want to get on her bad side now would we." Climbing to her feet, she turns around and dusts her brown cloth shorts with her hand, cleaning away the flecks of dirt and grass left there from when she was sat on the ground. "Now come on, I want to get there before all the Boar is gone." Turning on her heel she lithely bounces away. Expecting me to follow.

_" he's not the kind of guy that would expect me to stop being friends with you..." _What I said echoes around inside my head. The truth is. I don't know what he's thinking. I haven't got a clue where my allegiances lie in this situation. As I start after her, my mind is focused solely on two thoughts:

It **really couldn't** get much more confusing,

and

I **really hope **we do get there before all the Boar is gone.


	3. Chapter 3: Such Sorrow

**Such Sorrow**

I was right.

As I emerge from the ominous wood I am greeted with the gentle sound of running water, accompanied by the curious sight of swirling reflections playing off of the rocks and tree stumps sparsely littered around the clearing before me.

A river.

My discontented thoughts are swiftly interrupted by Chani's exuberant cries, and I realise that he must be thirsty. Maybe it's not all bad. I step down from atop of him, planting my foot firmly in the mud below. So it _had _been raining, the earth here wouldn't just turn to slop, especially not in the conditions this land has been under recently. My mind now even further in turmoil, I am forced to ignore the part of me that knows something is amiss. I take hold of Chani's reigns and gently lead him to the edge of the slippery bank, taking care to step with extra refinement. He bows his head and drinks greedily from the clean water.

I look around, trying to take in my surroundings. The wood through which I had travelled for a couple of hours with Chani was behind us. A large opening in the trees was beckoning, as if inviting us back. Looking beyond the river, directly towards the opposite bank, I am greeted with a similar view. Trees and more trees. I wasn't aware of how dense this forest was. Maybe if I had been I would have stuck to the road, rather than taking it upon myself to enjoy a little 'detour'. To the left and right, nothing. The river continues right for about a quarter of a mile, before meandering off with a sharp bend. There's no way to get across there. Turning around only presents me with an equally pessimistic view. The river continues left as far as I can see. I could always follow it and see where it leads, but that would likely be a fatal waste of time.

As if from nowhere, I am interrupted by a heavy splashing sound. I waste no time in pin-pointing the location of the disturbance. At first I think it's Chani, but before I can realise my mistake I'm plummeting towards the ground, an unbearable pain resonating throughout my entire body.

"Eugh!" I cry out in distress. Hitting the ground, hard, I'm covered in thick, rancid mud. I start to raise a hand towards my shoulder, where the pain seems to be coming from, but before I can, I'm forced to roll out of the way. Chani is acting crazed, he almost tramples me underfoot. Bolting to my feet, now completely covered in flecks of putrid smelling earth, I look down at my chest, and am horrified to see a sickening, open gash, over my right shoulder, The pain is staggering, but I reach for my bow. Too slow, before I can even get a grip on my only weapon, I'm battered to the ground again. My torso feels crushed as the tremendous blow quickly forces every last breath from within me, but the attack comes with a trade-off. Luckily this time, I catch a glimpse of my assailant. As I had thought.

The creature stands on four legs, elevating itself about five foot off the ground, and sports two cumbersome horns on either side of its head. Its entire body is covered in fur, apart from several joints and most of its ugly head which look to be plated with stone. Its eyes. God its eyes. The hellish yellow iris's seem to stare hatefully into my soul. Such sorrow.

I don't have time to waste. Adrenaline numbing the otherwise crippling pain in my shoulder, I break out into a run towards Chani, who has seemingly lost control. Seeing that I am alive, but still under significant threat, he bolts hastily towards me. As we pass each other I expertly grab onto his reigns, swinging myself around, and off the ground. I soar gracefully, fixated in mid air for a split second, before coming down expertly on the saddle.

The creature is enraged. I have it right where I want it. It comes bounding towards us at a startling speed, a feat deceptive of its clumsy build. As we draw closer to one and other, I carefully start to stand up on Chani's back. We are moments away from a head on collision. Now.

I leap from Chani with skilful finesse, coming down precisely on the creatures head. My foot lands exactly between its horrible eyes. Its stony jaw makes harsh contact with the slippery ground, coming down with such force that it creates a large fissure along the bank to the edge or the river. Taking a small step forward onto the creatures dirt caked back I make way for Chani as he rears up, before coming down with the full weight of his two front hooves. An unmistakable cracking sound confirms that it has worked. His work for now done, Chani sidles up beside me. I hold on to his reigns as I jump down from atop the creature, my feet cementing to the mud with a splash of filth. Circling around to the front of the creature I crouch down and run my fingers across the smooth surface of its horns, before testing the point with a swift prod of my index finger. Sharp. I pick one of them up from off the ground, wiping it clean of disgusting slop. These would make for perfect weapons. Slightly curved, flat in circumference, rather than completely round. It's as if they were made for fighting. Giving it a spin, I slot it into a loop I have free in my belt.

As I grab for the second one, I almost collapse. The adrenaline is wearing off and I am forced to consider the implications of my injury. Pain slowly retakes its dominance of my entire body. I examine my shoulder. It's not good. As I slowly slide my tunic from over the wound I can feel scraps of rough material sliding over the tender flesh, dragging streaks of deep red blood along my skin. Moving my hand to a pouch at my waist I grab for a bandage. I'm going to need a lot of gauze. Its a good job I learnt the field of medicine from the best. How to bandage a wound was a skill I had practised plenty of times.

Five minutes later. I'm done treating my wound, and the pain has begun to subside. Chani has taken to some doves that are gleefully scampering around in a patch of grass. I begin to walk towards him, but I don't get far. Before I take my third step my entire mind is filled with the shriek of an unbearable white noise. My vision is taken over by a scorchingly bright white light. I let out a distressed scream, and as the last burning images of the world around me fade away, I can make out the faint image of Chani, as he stops dead, slowly turns his head, and stares blankly into my cold eyes.

**

I can hear something. The end my nose turns up. My senses may be deceiving me, but I think I can smell the harsh, steely aroma of blood. My eyes snap open. I wish they hadn't. I'm staring right into the dead eyes of an emaciated, rotting humanoid corpse. Shocked, I wince at the horrific image, burnt into my mind. As I do, I catch a glimpse of my hands. I'm holding on to the deadly sharp horns I added to my minimal repertoire earlier, but its when I look ahead that I realise that the points are both lodged into the strangely fleshy stomach of the monstrosity before me; blood trickling slowly down its vomit covered attire. There's no time to ponder. I hear the unmistakable groan of a crazed monster coming from behind me. Jamming both horns from the corpse with a twist of my wrists, I turn around, and attack.


	4. Chapter 4: Bright Spark

**Bright Spark**

As I draw closer to the mess, Ali comes into view. She's wearing her overalls, caked with oil and thick grease. She must have been working with the machine already. Perhaps over night, someone has to stick around there during the dark hours.

You never know when they are out there.

She sees me looking at her from across the clearing in the huts. Wiping her hands with a flourish of the rag jammed beneath her belt, she turns to meets my gaze,

"Good morning Mairi," she calls.

"Good morning ma'am," I yell back, walking through the outdoor dining area. I slide my fingers across the wooden tables as I pass. My father is the best carpenter I've ever seen at work, his skills are second to none within the camp. But then again, I have never even visited another town, so exactly how his ability measures up compared to the craftsmen scattered around the land, I can never truly know. He created all of these tables himself, from scratch. It's the smoothest wood I've ever felt. I can't help myself from touching them every time I make my way through here. I've **never once** drawn my fingers across their surface and felt the sharp prick of a splinter. If that doesn't prove his skill, then I don't know what does.

"Have you seen Zeikku?" she asks, as I step into the shelter of the outer porch area of the hall to stand next to her.

"Yup, he's coming now."

Looking out beyond the inner residential huts, to the farm where Zeikku and I were talking earlier, I can still see him there. He's walking, but slowly, dragging his feet through the rough gravel. I can tell he is pre-occupied. He stops for a second to exchange pleasantries with Farmer Brent.

"He seems to be taking his time," Ali mutters, beneath a staggered breath, "That boy, he's not been himself lately." She slips off her cap, and lets her long, blonde hair unfurl down her back.

"You noticed, huh?" I sit down on the steps leading into the hall and rest a cheek against my hand.

_He has been acting different recently, but if I'm gonna tell ya' the truth, he's never really changed. He's a calculated person, y'know. 'Proper', for lack of a better term. Always thinks before he speaks, and so straight laced, anyone could guess that he lived with one of the most respected members of our local council. _

"Even at home, he seems distant. I can't get through to him any more," Ali muses.

"I've had far too many problems already today. Let's not bring the workings of the entire male psyche in to this too..."

"Problems?"

"Yeah, but, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Sure thing kiddo." She smiles sympathetically and picks up a couple of tools, implements of various shapes and sizes, mostly engineering supplies. It seems I was right about her working with the machine. "Look, I have to go meet with the Mayor, important business. Tell Zeikku that-"

"Oh- you're not goin' to see the Mayor dressed like that, are you?" I interrupt, wincing at her slop covered garb. She laughs,

"Well, I'm sorry, but you can share your fashion tips later, 'kay? I'm sure the Mayor wont mind-"

She doesn't have time to finish her sentence. The deafening toll of the warning bells rings in my ears, and the town is in utter disarray within seconds. People rip through the town at an incredible pace, tearing from their huts, carelessly dragging their young along behind them. Men keep their cool, reassuring women and escorting them to safety.

"Mairi, you know what to do?"

"But Ali, I-"

"Mairi this is not a time for such childish behaviour. Your town needs you to be brave today."

Before I even have chance to protest, Ali gathers her hair back under her cap, and hastily makes her way to the munitions tent. It's hard to see through the reams of frenzied civilians, but I'm pretty sure Zeikku isn't at the farm like he was a few seconds ago, and It worries me. Regardless, I don't have time to hang about here. I have to get to work.

Ignoring the hordes of people in my path, I head straight to the outskirts of the encampment. As I edge further towards the walls there becomes less and less interference from the townspeople, they know where they're safest. Soon it's just me, and the small number of guards that weren't on duty before the attack. Even our sleepy little town needs defending from time to time, and every little boy wants to be a soldier at some point, so it seemed only natural to train a select group of our people in the art of the sword. We don't talk about it, but we know it's pointless. Every single one of those soldiers knows that they're going to be no help in the upcoming battle, but they still like to entertain the notion that we rely on them. It gives them purpose. By this point my heart is beating so hard, its almost drowning out the world around me. Practically the only thing I can hear is the stubborn thumping in my chest, pumping the blood past my ears. Its not like me to get scared in these situations. Anxious, yes, but I'm a calm person. Besides, they cant make me do anything I don't want to do... We came to an agreement. I wont do it.

Not again.

I've reached the gate. The entire town is surrounded by tall wooden walls, constructed mainly from the trunks of trees nearby. As a result the surrounding forest ends abruptly about a quarter of a mile short of the camp. On our side of the doors its much calmer than it was in the residential area. Several heavily armed men are standing, swords readied, at the gate, in case our position is compromised and the gate falls. There are a few people a little farther away from the gate, being treated for various wounds, which they probably received due to carelessness in the battlefield just beyond here. Ranging from minor lacerations to heavily bleeding wounds, and broken arms, it was apparent that this confrontation was of a significantly higher magnitude than previous encounters.

"Mairi!"

I snap around, coming face to face with just the person I was hoping** not** to run into.

Mr Wilks is the guy in charge of the Ridge's defence. He has a relatively quiet working year. We don't need him often, although in recent months, things have been getting worse.

I brush the hair out of my face.

"Reporting for duty, Sir!" I exclaim with a cocky salute Wilks doesn't have a very good sense of humour.

"Less of the wisecracking, girl. I need you to get out there, and deliver a message to Creed, before things get ugly." Wilks scratches his nose and hands me a scrawny, yellowing piece of parchment from his pocket. I'm relieved at the seemingly meagre request, yet confused regardless.

"Why don't you just do it yourself?"

"I told you once, girl, enough of the cheek."

I snatch the message from him, sticking my tongue out in defiance.

"Oh, and try not to get in their way, okay?"

"Sure thing," I reply absently. Stuffing the parchment in my shorts, I step towards the ladder, and begin to climb. I can hear them, outside. Just beyond this wall. When I reach the top, I look over to the other side. I can see Creed fighting with some of the other soldiers, they're battling together, but he's the one doing all the work. He hasn't seen me, he's enjoying himself too much, ploughing through the creatures swarming around him with ease. There are only a couple of foot soldiers remaining, fighting stalwartly against the enemy. One of them runs courageously towards a repulsive monster, piercing its gut with his sword, before smoothly slicing it in half with a quick motion of his blade, allowing for a large amount of blood to come rushing forth. Moving on to attack the next monster in line, he is interrupted by the sharp claws of a dog like creature he didn't account for. As it reaches for the soldiers face with its flesh covered teeth, I look away in disgust. Trying my best to drown out the incessant screams of terror and pain. The entire area in which the battle took place in is covered with pools of congealing blood. I'm hoping most of it is from the enemy. Rotting carcases litter the ground. Bodies ripped in half, guts and entrails mercilessly splashed across the grass. It's always like this.

I wait until Creed has taken care of most of them before I head north, following the path atop of the wall before coming to another ladder leading down.

When my foot hesitantly touches the ground, Creed is finishing off the last of the creatures. He makes a cut straight across one of the humanoid monstrosities necks with a hunting knife, blood gushing lavishly from the wound. Grabbing the knife between his teeth, he clutches onto the things head with a grimy hand, and rips it savagely from the rest of its body. The head flies lightly through the air, trailing a battered spinal chord. Creed drops the limp corpse in the pool of blood at his feet, and sheaths his dagger.

"Mairi, you just missed the best part!"

I cautiously step over to him. If there's one part of all this I'll never get used to, it's the smell. The sickening stench of death hangs in the air, sliding its way around my senses. It's taken a few months of it for me to be able to keep myself from retching and being sick at the mere thought. I'm not cut out for this kind of environment. I never have been.

"I'm sure I'll survive." Glancing around my surroundings one more time, I scan for allied casualties. "I can't say the same for some of us though..." My earlier suspicions about the ferocity of the battle are confirmed as I notice that a lot of the blood here has spilled from our men. The tell-tale leather armour of The Ridge's military adorns the soaked soil. As usual, no one unlucky enough to be caught off guard was spared.

"Hey now, those were good men. They fought tooth and nail for us, don't you be upset, okay?" He may be a fighter at heart, but he's so sensitive, its almost ironic. "That's not what they would have wanted." He drags a red encrusted hand through his deep black hair. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

Reaching into my pocket I hand him the message. "Wilks told me to bring you this."

Unfolding the parchment with one hand, he quickly reads the note, and lets out an unexpected laugh. In a situation such as this laughter is the last thing I had expected. "Hey what's so funny-"I quiz.

"Are you in on this?"

"What are you talkin' about?" I snatch the message from him, curiosity taking over.

"What, you tellin' me ya' haven't even read it?" He chuckles. "Some messenger you are. Well actually, I s'pose that makes you a good messenger, don't it?"

I was wrong. Wilks does have a sense of humour. Even if it is convulsed and twisted in all the wrong directions.

"Oh jeez-" I sigh. He knew how intense the fight was. And despite my natural adamance to be no part of such situations any more, the note reads:

"Creed-

Thought you could use some help, so here's the little 'Bright Spark' to give

you a hand. Make good use of the tools at your disposal, and don't let

_anything_ past the gate.

Sgt. Wilks"

I look up at Creed who seems to be revelling in my embarrassment. I realise I've been taken for a fool. Wilks tricked me!

"So little one, you wanna get to work?" I see the ends of his nostrils flare at the smell of fresh adversity. There's more of them coming.

Humbled and defeated, I feel so angry. But there's no sense in retreating now. There's no doubt in my mind that Creed can't take them all on his own, no matter how good he is, and I'd rather do it myself than subject more innocent men to their untimely deaths. I take a deep breath of submission, and flash a pained smile.

As the next wave of hairy, stone plated invaders come hungrily bounding through the trees, I step forward, letting the pure energy dance intensely between my fingertips.

_It's a dirty job, y'know...... But someone has to do it._


	5. Chapter 5: A Place of Ruin

**A Place of Ruin**

I can hear something. The end my nose turns up. My senses may be deceiving me, but I think I can smell the harsh, steely aroma of blood. My eyes snap open. I wish they hadn't. I'm staring right into the dead eyes of an emaciated, rotting humanoid corpse. Shocked, I wince at the horrific image, burnt into my mind. As I do, I catch a glimpse of my hands. I'm holding on to the deadly sharp horns I added to my minimal repertoire earlier, but its when I look ahead that I realise that the points are both lodged into the strangely fleshy stomach of the monstrosity before me; blood trickling slowly down its vomit covered attire. There's no time to ponder. I hear the unmistakable groan of a crazed monster coming from behind me. Jamming both horns from the corpse with a twist of my wrists, I turn around, and attack.

Forcing my entire body weight through my right hand, I savagely plunge one of the horns directly into the abominations grotesque face, whilst arching my left arm out, efficiently disembowelling another enemy that had limped up in a futile attempt to catch me off guard. As its entrails spew forth from its gaping gut, I spin down into a sweep kick, taking out both of their legs. As they fall heavily to the ground, I quickly take in my surroundings. I have no idea how I got here. All I remember is everything going white, and then this. I'm stood in the middle of what looks like a village. Only there are no townspeople. Instead the place is crawling with Korosai. Most of the creatures are humanoid, like the two I just took care of, but a few of them are in the form of various animals. Predominantly dogs, similar to the one I took these horns from. As I look around I see various tents and huts. Some are on fire. The flames flicker elegantly beneath the dull grey sky, reaching out and licking at the corpses of last nights meal. The place must have been attacked, and overrun by the Korosai. I spare a thought for the now demolished town and the people that once lived here. I'm reminded of my humble beginnings as images of my home town flash before my eyes...

The Korosai are the vicious creatures that scour these lonely lands for human flesh. They usually find it. More often than not in the form of a wary traveller, or unsuspecting merchant going about his business. If they can't find a human, they'll happily feast on animals. Maybe even each other. They have no rules. They just know when they're hungry.

They've always been here. People would tell their children that they were the ramblings of insane woodsmen, and soldiers that had seen things far worse than many a mortal man could imagine. They would even try to convince themselves, but we all knew that the threat they posed was a very real one indeed. It's just that no one is really sure how, or why, they got here in the first place. Lurking in the forgotten shadows of the darkest forests. Things were a lot easier when they stayed there, waiting for us. If only it were still that simple.

My nostalgic, inner digression is cut short when I realise the sheer number of Korosai I am faced with. They're holding back, for now. They've seen what I can do with a blade, (even the primordial desire to feed can be waylaid by a good dose of fear). Wiping the blood from my already battle-ravaged clothes, I take a closer look at the gathering. There seems to be a leader, squatting complacently behind his minions. It is one of the humanoids, but a little larger than most of the ones I've faced so far. It has a much more muscular build, less fur, and more of that stony, biological armour they are renowned for. It's more intelligent, I can tell, and it doesn't seem fazed by my butchering of the two weaklings, resting in several pieces behind me. It raises to its full height, about seven feet, and I realise just how dire this situation is. I can take a few of the lesser Korosai at a time, but not all of them, and the leader could squash me flat with ease even if it was just the two of us. There is no way I can get out of this alive with my strength alone, and I don't have much time to formulate a plan. I need to think, fast. Or I'm dead.

The leader barks a command from its snarling mouth, and before I can figure out what it means, the entire pack are storming towards me, no mercy in their eyes. I have no choice. I have to fight valiantly, and overcome this. I cant give up now. Not when I've come so far.

I begin to charge into the belly of the beast. I push on straight towards them and impale a couple of the Korosai. Tossing them aside, I slash at a few more, taking them down with ease. It's important to aim for the fleshy parts. That stone like substance is incredibly resilient and these horns would be rendered useless against it. I continue like this for a few more seconds. Tearing through the army behind a wave of deep red blood. The leader is enraged. It roars again, and even more of the festering scum come to meet their slaughter. I'm already exhausted, and a familiar burning pain echoes from my shoulder. I had almost forgotten about that. I'm exerting too much force on my muscles, and it's all taking its toll.

It's only in situations like this when you realise how much you rely on others. Without Chani my fighting ability has begun to crumble to that of a novice. I'm having to rely only on basic techniques that I haven't exercised in months. I don't even know if I'm ever going to see him again. Did he come to this place with me? Is he even alive? _What about her?_

So many questions. No time.

I'm just starting to accept my defeat, when it hits me. Straight over the head. I get up off the ground and roll back. Their leader just threw something at me!

"Agh!"

I stumble backwards, right into the well placed claws of an eagle like Korosai. Feeling the sharp, talons pierce my skin, I let out another cry. It feels like it's about to rip out a chunk of my flesh, but before it can, I reach over my shoulder with one of my weapons, and club at its head. Its grip relaxes and I spin around, delivering the final blow. Its wings buckle as it collapses to the ground. I turn back to the now enraged leader, pain welling up in my body. No longer satisfied with taking a back seat to the action, it swats several of its peons with a swing of its immense arm, sending them flying into a fire burning on a tent a few yards away. Their flesh bubbles and their eyes pop as they grasp for a handhold to keep themselves from falling victim to the wrath of the flames. To no avail. Ignoring the trail of destruction it's leaving in its wake, the Leader strides towards me, his eyes bursting with a loathing stare, sending shivers down to my uneasy core.

I turn on my heel, but I'm immediately faced with more Korosai. This is it. I'm trapped, and as the leaders presence dominates, my fear grows.

No time to feel sorry for myself.

I turn around again to face it. Steeling my nerves, I sheathe both of my blades and hammer towards him, pumping the final grains of my energy into a last ditch effort to survive. I draw nearer, and he raises his hand, ready to pound me into the ground. As its palm comes down, I roll forward, coming through between its legs. The immense shuddering of the earth behind me almost forces me to the floor, but I manage to keep my balance. Drawing the horns from my belt once more, I spin around, using my momentum to lodge one of them into its lower back. As I let go, it releases a thunderous cry of agony, and pounds at the ground a couple more times in anger, giving me time to act. I leap up, and using the horn as a foothold, climb onto its back. I stab the other horn into the back of its neck, and pull myself up with it. The monster thrashes about in distress, desperately trying to throw me off, but I withstand its best efforts, keeping my body sandwiched between the two horns. The beast's tantrum subsides and I'm given enough time to frantically grab at the stone armour, and haul myself a little farther up its body. Wrapping my tired arms around its head, I pull it back with as much force as I can muster. It jolts forward again, and I hear a cracking sound. I had thought that that would finish it off, but he's far more resilient than I gave it credit for.

It starts to go crazy. Even with a snapped neck, it scrambles desperately around the village, me still clinging on for dear life. I glance over its shoulder and see that were heading straight for a huge bonfire. This is my chance to abandon ship. I wrap my ankles around the horn I lodged in its neck, and hang upside down to retrieve the other horn, still buried in the flesh of its lower back. The blood cascades to my head, and as I begin to feel disoriented, I pull out the lower horn with my hands, and then use all the strength in my legs to retrieve the one between my feet. It comes loose, and I spin gracefully to the ground, letting the horn fall into my hand on the way down. I land in a crouched position facing the Leader, now plummeting to his death, the large fire only a few feet away. It stumbles carelessly over a few misplaced corpses, forcing the mutilated bodies of Korosai and humans alike to either side, and falls straight into the fire. His final groans of pain, confusion, and shattered pride fill the air with their cold emotion, adding to the lingering feeling of death surrounding me.

As I stand, watching the flames consume its still writhing body, a familiar white light fills my field of vision, and I'm overcome with the same, peculiar sensation that brought me here, to this god forsaken place of darkness and ruin.

**

Back at the river. The monstrous shrieks of the Korosai, replaced by the soothing sound of running water. The bloodstained ground, fading away to reveal the grassy banks, dotted with daisies and chirping birds. The stench of death, dissipating to make way for the smell of fresh fruit, sprouting from the trees nearby. The ordeal over, it takes a little while to adjust myself, and contemplate what just happened. Thankfully, Chani is okay. It seems he was here the whole time. I walk up to him, and pet his dark fur. Reaching into the satchel tied to his back, I rummage around until my hand meets the cold binding of my Journal.

_"It happened again._

_It wasn't like before. It was worse. So much death. I am sure_

_the danger was real this time. There is no doubt in my mind._

_All I can do is hope, but I'm scared to say that this might be an_

_indication of things to come. If so. I'm afraid I might have more _

_than one persons blood on my hands."_


End file.
